1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for treating both the early and late phases of allergic lung disease. In particular, the invention relates to a method for immunizing a host against allergic asthma through use of asthma-initiating antigen-encoding polynucleotide compositions.
2. History of the Prior Art
Asthma is one of the common chronic lung diseases of industrialized countries. The airway narrowing which characterizes the disease is associated with antigen stimulated immune system activation, including elevation of antigen-specific IgE levels in the early phase of the disease and eosinophil infiltration of lung tissue in the late phase of the disease.
Specifically, during the early phase of the disease, activation of Th2 lymphocytes stimulates the production of IgE antibody, which in turn triggers the release of histamine and other immune mediators from mast cells. During the late phase of the disease, IL-4 and IL-5 cytokine production by CD4+ helper T lymphocyte type 2 (Th2) cells is elevated. These cytokines are believed to play a significant role in recruiting eosinophils into lung tissue, where tissue damage and dysfunction result.
Persons suffering from allergic asthma are conventionally treated by immunization against the asthma-initiating antigen with an antigen-based composition. Antigen immunization limits the antigen-stimulated events of the early phase of allergic asthma, albeit at the risk of inducing IgE mediated anaphylaxis. However, such classical immunization schemes do not target the cytokine-mediated events of the late phase immune response in allergic asthma.